Thursday, February 17, 2011

It’s a record (for me). 24 vials of blood in one sitting! My husband was with me, and insisted on taking a picture of all the vials after we were done (which now I’m happy he did b/c I can share it). Fairly ridiculous, huh? Even the phlebotomist was surprised by how many vials they needed, so I feel proud. I bet I’m even more pale than usual now!

Anyone else have any exciting blood draw adventures? I’m SURE you do. Ahh, the things we POTSies get excited about…

Why am I doing this?

I have been severely ill for 8 years. I was an active, healthy 26 year old emergency veterinarian loving life and my job. Everything crashed to a halt after a cat bite landed me in the hospital for a few days on IV antibiotics. Severe dizziness, fatigue, pain, and fainting were soon to follow. I had to take medical leave 3 months after I first became ill and was never able to work again.

It took more than 30 doctors, 2 years, and a trip to the Mayo clinic in Minnesota to finally get diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or "POTS", a type of dysautonomia. I am still severely disabled, but fighting tooth and nail to get better every day. I want this blog to be a resource for others who have chronic "mystery" diagnoses or other chronic disorders that need help organizing their life again.

Bear with me on this blog because I am ill and will not be able to post as regularly as a "normal" person can!